Registration for City of Toronto's spring/summer recreation programs starts this weekend

The City of Toronto offers high-quality, safe, fun recreation programs for people of all ages, skill levels and interests. Registration for spring and summer general programs, spring skating and swimming, and summer camps starts at 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 4 for residents of Etobicoke York. Other districts follow, with registration opening on Sunday, March 5 for Scarborough, Tuesday, March 7 for North York, and Wednesday, March 8 for Toronto and East York.

How to register
Step 1: Get account numbers
Residents need a family number and client number to sign up for recreation programs. Before registration day, call the Customer Service Call Centre at 416-338-4386 or speak with staff at a City community centre to obtain family and client numbers. On March 1, 2, 3 and 6, call centre hours have been extended from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (regular hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to assist with account information and answer questions about registration for the spring/summer programs.

Step 2: Choose programs
People who want to register should have a few backup choices prepared in case their preferred program is full. You can browse online and choose programs at http://www.toronto.ca/torontofun or look in a copy of the FUN Guide available at City Hall, civic centres, community centres and libraries.

Step 3: Register
Registration starts at 7 a.m., so be sure to have all information and payment options ready. There are four ways to register:
1. Online is the easiest and fastest way to register, at http://efun.toronto.ca
2. Use a touchtone phone and follow the prompts at 416-338-0000
3. Use a telephone and customer service assistance at 416-338-4386
4. Attend in person at select locations as listed at http://www.toronto.ca/torontofun and also identified in the printed FUN Guide.

Parks, Forestry and Recreation programs are popular and many have waiting lists. If you are unable to attend the program you registered for, contact your local community centre or call 416-338-4386 so the spot can be offered to someone else.

Welcome Policy yearly credit
The Welcome Policy credit can be used to register for City recreation programs. People receiving social assistance (Ontario Works) and living in Toronto are pre-approved to receive this credit and should speak to their caseworker. More information about the yearly credit is available at http://www.toronto.ca/wp.

Free programs
Many community centres offer free recreation programs, including leisure swimming and skating, and drop-in programs for children, youth and older adults. You can visit http://www.toronto.ca/lowcostrecreation for more information about free and low-cost programming options.

Making it better
Residents can provide ideas and suggestions about how the City is doing with the registration process by joining the conversation on social media using the hashtag #TOrec, following us on Facebook or Twitter @TorontoPFR, or by visiting http://www.toronto.ca/haveyoursay for updates.

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. In 2017, Toronto will honour Canada's 150th birthday with "TO Canada with Love," a year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto.